Send letters and columns, along with your name and city of residence, to se.letters@arizonarepublic.com. Letters should be no longer than 200 words, and columns should be no longer than 500 words. Submissions may appear online or in print.

When I sought a seat on the City Council four years ago I ran on a platform of bringing and maintaining “Quality Jobs and Quality Neighborhoods to Chandler.”

Over these past few years, the city has been able to do this in spite of the worst recession this country has faced since the Great Depression. We (the current City Council members) have worked to remain fiscally conservative yet visionary enough to make wise use of tax dollars for the betterment of our citizens by investing in our future.

By using public/private partnerships, we have created more than 9,500 jobs in the past 30 months. We have opened the innovations project in west Chandler, brought Ebay/PayPal and Infusion Software to the Price Road corridor, have seen the transformation of the old Motorola sight into the Continuum Science and Technology park and have a development agreement with Intel to build the largest plant in the world with their investment being more than $5 billion.

The city has the best economic development department in the region, and we must continue to give them the tools they need to keep quality jobs coming to Chandler.

In terms of neighborhoods, we have gone out to the community to listen to the priorities and needs of our citizens concerning making their neighborhoods more sustainable and safe. We have implemented many programs such as the abatement program to clean up blighted properties, a voluntary demolition program to eliminate uninhabitable homes and many other public safety efforts. We started the traditional neighborhood academy to go with our HOA academies to provide information to our citizens on how to strengthen their neighborhoods.

On the education front, I started the Chandler Education Coalition to bring together our school districts, non-profits, the business community and the city to utilize our limited resources and make sure our students receive the best education opportunities possible. We had the first Science and Technology Fair, and it ran for three days this past February showcasing some of best businesses and brightest students in our city.

We now have both Arizona State and the University of Arizona offering programs in our downtown and other areas of our city.

For my efforts and accomplishments, I have been endorsed by the mayor and every member of our Council. I have been endorsed by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce, the Southeast Valley Realtors, the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, the Arizona Republic and many outstanding citizens of our city.

I want to continue moving Chandler forward and will work hard for you our citizens over the next four years. We need to continue to make Chandler the jewel of the desert that is has become.

That is why I ask for your vote either by early ballot or on August 28.

Rick Heumann is a Chandler City Council member running for re-election.

About this column

The Republic asked Chandler City Council candidates to explain an initiative they would champion if elected. Their pieces will print alphabetically over the next few days. Sam Huang and Scott Taylor did not respond.

From the statewide elections for federal and state officials down to our Chandler City Council race, there is an acknowledgment across the board that people are struggling, and we need to do everything we can to get people back to work. The conversation dominates the airwaves and the print media, and it's no wonder. When our residents are enjoying successful businesses and jobs, every aspect of city life prospers.

That's why I'm running for council.

As your councilwoman, my top priority will be to bring more jobs to Chandler and promote economic development. In many ways, Chandler has been a model city in this regard, but there is still more that we can do.

First, I want to ease the regulatory burden on business generally and streamline the business start-up process. One way to cut through the red tape is by having same-day permitting. This is a concept that has been advancing successfully in Phoenix, and there is no reason we cannot bring it to Chandler. While we do not want to compromise the safety of our residents, we do need to make it as easy as possible to start and grow businesses so that they can afford to hire more people as fast as possible without getting bogged down by unnecessary regulations.

Second, in today's technological age, businesses should be able to submit plans to the city for electronic review. If a site plan is already in place on a property, the city should expedite the process with an over-the-counter site-plan review. There should be minimal if any additional costs associated with over-the-counter review. If a business has a tenant-improvement project, it should be eligible for self-certification.

Third, I also believe it is important to revisit the current regulations on businesses for relevance, to keep our city up to date. We should require of a business only what is necessary to protect the people of Chandler so as to encourage more businesses to locate here.

There is a real opportunity right now with those that are fleeing states like neighboring California. We should not miss out!

Fourth, in addition to creating jobs, we need to do a better job using Chandler’s excellent business network to connect Chandler residents looking for work to the Chandler jobs that are available. This will keep the revenue within the city, which will produce a domino effect, such as helping more people stay in their homes and bringing in the revenue needed to fund the city services residents need. Our Chandler residents need to know what Chandler companies are hiring, such as Intel, Paypal, eBay and Safelight.

As a member of the Chandler Chamber board of directors I have worked with business leaders all over our state, promoting the kind of public policy that creates jobs. That's why I'm asking you to give me an opportunity to serve on the council by voting for Nora Ellen on Aug. 28.

Nora Ellen is a candidate for Chandler City Council.

About this column

The Republic asked Chandler City Council candidates to explain an initiative they would champion if elected. Their pieces will print alphabetically over the next few days. Sam Huang and Scott Taylor did not respond.

In August, Gilbert voters will be asked to select two new council members. I hope to be worthy of the esteem of Gilbert voters.

As a native of Arizona and the East Valley, I have deep roots in Gilbert. My mother went to the original Gilbert Elementary School, and she attended the church across the street. Hard work was instilled in me from an early age. I grew up in Mesa and helped my family in raising goats, chickens, a big garden, and lots of citrus trees.

My wife and I made our home in Gilbert after we were married in 1996. We have loved living in Gilbert ever since.

My purpose in running for Town Council is to strengthen the environment for our small businesses to grow and to keep the town government focused on its core mission of protecting individual rights.

In 2009, I participated in the Citizen’s Budget Committee and submitted many ideas to the Council to eliminate the multi-million dollar budget deficit without laying off any town employees. John Sentz ignored millions of dollars in budget reductions. Gilbert voters rejected the proposition, and the budget was balanced without laying off any police and fire personnel.

Joined by many other citizens, I fought the advocates of higher taxes and big government. I stood with Gilbert families and businesses and asked the town to be fiscally responsible.

As a town council member, I will represent Gilbert families and Gilbert businesses. I look forward to meeting you and discussing the important ways that we, together, can serve and strengthen our community.

When I was elected three years ago, I pledged to bring my experience in business and the military to Gilbert to improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of government.

In doing so, I accomplished several goals I had set for myself.

One goal was to make the town’s financial information more readily available to the residents of Gilbert. I led the effort to have a monthly budget report available on the Gilbert website. I championed the improvement of our permit process and reduced the time required to process a commercial permit from 53 days to 18.

Electronic meeting packets have been implemented for the Town Council and the Planning Commission. This made staff time more efficient and less costly as well as saved a large number of trees by reducing the amount of paper required each month.

Another goal was to hire a procurement professional to ensure Gilbert is procuring goods and services in accordance with town policy and at the lowest cost.

Gilbert continues to be a great place to live and raise a family. Gilbert is the lowest-cost municipality in the metropolitan area when all costs are considered, such as water, sewer, trash, sales and property taxes.

While maintaining this low-cost structure, Gilbert has continued to provide great services and to sustain a high quality of life.

We have many amenities that draw people to Gilbert. Our public-school system, which consists of three school districts, is highly rated. The quality of schools is always a key factor when companies are looking for a place to locate a new business or expand an existing business.

I will work toward more partnerships with our three school districts to identify ways to share limited resources and avoid duplication of services. The Gilbert Veterans Day committee is currently partnering with Higley Schools on our Veterans Day celebrations.

A key part of our economic development package is the great park facilities we have in Gilbert. I will make every effort to ensure that we maintain these facilities so all residents are able to enjoy them. The current motto for Gilbert is “clean, safe and vibrant.” I will work with staff to ensure that we look at ways to reduce the response time of our public-safety resources to ensure the safety of our citizens.

The newly opened fire station on Guadalupe Road will help improve the response time for our fire resources. I will champion continuous improvement plans and look at creative ways to reduce our response time while maintaining outstanding service.

If elected, I will continue to seek ways to make town operations more efficient and reduce costs while maintaining our current service level. I will work to ensure Gilbert remains a superb community that attracts quality, high-wage jobs and continues to be a great place to live, work and play. Vote for John Sentz for Gilbert Town Council on Aug. 28.

John Sentz is a member of the Gilbert Town Council.

About these columns

The Republic asked Gilbert Town Council candidates to write about an initiative they would champion if elected. Read pieces from Jenn Daniels and Jared Taylor.

This community was built by dedicated leaders with vision, hard work and a commitment to future generations. The past two decades in Gilbert have brought explosive growth and, while the relative youth of the town has given us an advantage as we plan for build-out, we must continue to prepare now for the needs of the future.

In planning for Gilbert’s future, we cannot overlook the responsibility we have for redevelopment and to keep the aging areas of our town a priority.

With the support of the Town Council and the collaboration of staff, citizens and businesses, there is a critical need to prepare a detailed long-term Redevelopment Plan, not limited solely to the Heritage District, that addresses both immediate and potential challenges as our community matures. Integrating our plans for connectivity, safety, circulation, infrastructure and quality from a comprehensive perspective can provide lasting benefits.

Step 1: Assess the Needs — We must step back and take an honest look at the big picture. Within the context of the General Plan, community consensus and expert evaluation, our first step is to assess the current and long-term needs.

Step 2: Establish Goals — When we discuss what Gilbert will look like twenty years from now, we cannot afford to overlook a single neighborhood, park, business or shopping center. Measurable and sustainable goals will ultimately promote or inhibit our ability to be successful.

Step 3: Prioritize — Taking into consideration the quality, risks and greatest impact while recognizing the limitations in funding, feasibility and urgency; community collaboration is essential in the decision-making process. Our citizens, staff and leaders should decide which geographic areas and projects are the top priorities.

Step 4: Carry Out the Plan — The execution of a well-written plan benefits the community as a whole by promoting private investment, creating opportunities for businesses to tap into new markets and fostering a sense of pride in our town. A proactive approach is the best method.

A long-term plan with bold framework and the flexibility to adapt when necessary will ensure that we don’t compromise on those things that provide the greatest benefit to our citizens.

If redevelopment is done properly it can be a catalyst for continued economic-development opportunities and set a pattern for years to come. This plan and the subsequent actions of our town leaders will protect our personal investments at home, in business and throughout the community. This in turn will allow our children — and their children — to experience the quality community we call home.

Jenn Daniels is a Gilbert Town Council member running for re-election Aug. 28.

About these columns

The Republic asked Gilbert Town Council candidates to write about an initiative they would champion if elected. Read pieces from John Sentz and Jared Taylor.

Question: AARP is usually an advocacy group. Why are you taking this approach?

Cheryl Matheis: We have a window of opportunity. No serious proposal is going to be seriously considered until after the election. We can go out and inform people and give them opportunities to have their voice known without us trying to influence them. We want to know what people think.

At earnedasay.org, we have interactive tools. What would you do, especially with Social Security? They have actual numbers.

We think this effort is unique. We have worked with known academic experts from think tanks on both the left and the right. We didn’t want to do it in our own words.

Q: When you do forums in Arizona, what kind of reaction do you get?

Ritch Steven: We ask, if there’s one thing you could do to strengthen or secure Medicare, what would it be?

I never hear support for the voucher plan. I generally get at least one person saying blow it all up, let the market reign. And I get two or three of say, 20, who say we’ve got to go with a single-payer system.

Everybody else is somewhere in that middle group: “I’m not sure I’m willing to go that far this way or that way.”

If you’re already on Social Security or Medicare, you probably don’t want to change. The younger people tend to be a little more adventuresome.

Matheis: In Social Security we do not have a privatization (proposal) in there because frankly nobody in Congress is really going to talk about privatization next year. We also don’t have single payer in Medicare. We’re trying to be realistic.

We have worked hard, really hard, to have these very understandable explanations so people can get good information at the level they want.

Q: There’s a lot of demagoguery from the left and the right.

Matheis: People can have honest disagreements. There’s more than one way to address the problem. Probably the worst thing to do is not to address it because then it’s just going to get worse down the line and every solution is going to be harder.

We have invested a lot of energy and effort in putting this information together. But we’re not going to be successful unless we can get other people to do it, too. We hope people will understand there are challenges to be met.

When people are too scared, they burrow into a hole and don’t want to do anything. But if they’re not at all scared, they say, “It’s no problem.”

Social Security can pay full benefits for the next 20 years. After that it will be paying 75 percent benefits. People might say, “Well 75 percent sounds fine.” Until you realize the average benefit in Arizona is about $14,000 a year. So now you’re going to 75 percent of that. It makes a difference.

One of the challenges we have is interesting younger people in this. They see their grandparents having this and they think it’s great. They know how much they rely on it.

But people who are young now, we don’t know what’s going to happen to them. Right now, defined pensions are going away. People are not saving. What kind of retirement security does anybody who is 30 have? It’s probably not as nice as someone who is 60.

Young people are really going to be screwed if we don’t fix the program. People say, “Oh, they’re going to be really screwed because they are going to bear the burden of extra taxes.” Well, they’re also going to be really screwed if you don’t fix the program because they’re going to have a lesser program. You could get significant diminishing of it, which would not help younger people either.

Q: From the feedback you are getting, is it possible to say what AARP’s positions might be?

Matheis: I can’t speak for our board, but I think it will be influenced by what comes back.

There are many decisions to be made. We have core principles that we always will adhere to, I imagine. For instance, we believe Social Security should pay the benefits that have been guaranteed to people. It should be there for future generations in an adequate form.

Medicare should cover a defined set of benefits that are affordable, with quality.

Within that, the feedback will help our board in making decisions. They’re the ones who ultimately tell us which proposals we’ll support next year.

Join thousands of azcentral.com fans on Facebook and get the day's most popular and talked-about Valley news, sports, entertainment and more - right in your newsfeed. You'll see what others are saying about the hot topics of the day.